Thread by @aaolomi

Throughout the centuries the jinn were said to inspire poets to verse and madness. As an elemental and invisible race, the jinn were master poets themselves and in turn taught their craft to others becoming mentors and muses to human poets.

A thread-

The jinn-inspired poet was a pre-Islamic feature as we have references to various poets and their invisible companions.

The “sha’ir” or poet often overlapped with the figures of the soothsayer and sorcerer.

One such figure was Fatima bint al Nu’man who was a seer and poet with a jinn lover.

Recorded by Ibn Sa’d, one day her jinn lover would not draw near her and she asked him what was the matter.

The jinn replied: the prophet who forbids adultery and wine has arrived.

She is said to have predicted the coming of Muhammad as a result.

Even poets who weren’t seers were said to have a unique relationship with the jinn.

There was Imru’ al-Qais who recited stirring verses inspired by his jinn Lafiz and Tarafah whose jinn inspired him to utter the following verse extolling the beauty of the king’s sister:

Behold she has come back to me,
May fair gazelle whose ear-ring shine;
Had not the king been sitting here,
I would have pressed her lips to mine (trans by Nicholson).

For his impertinence the king had him buried alive.

As pre-Islamic jinn were Islamized with the spread of the religion, the older relationship between the jinn and those they inspired continued through poetry even as sorcery and soothsaying would become taboo.

As subtle creatures, the jinn were said to be uniquely gifted in poetry. In turn they passed their gift on to humans often appearing to them suddenly and demanding they learn verse.

Islamic society would go on to cherish poetry as part of a body of knowledge alongside science and learning.

It was even said Muhammad had a favorite poet, Hassan ibn Thabit who learned his poetry from his jinn double.

Whole jinn tribes were said to be experts in poetry like the Banu Shaysaban. El Zein notes there are claims the poetry of the jinn is so advanced they have styles and meters humans have never heard of.

There is in fact a compendium of jinn poetry called the Ash’ar al Jinn.

We also have descriptions of the jinn poets themselves. They are usually said to be mounted on steeds, noble in bearing, but always slightly alien

For example, Kuthayyir Azzah described his jinn as a tall man on a horse made entirely of brass. He demanded Kuthayyir recite poetry and when Kuthayyir said he did not know any, the jinn taught him verses.

Others like the jinn king Zawbah and Barqan are described in even more fantastical terms.

Zawbah, a Venusian being is said to appear in whirlwinds of dust and sand with four heads.

He enraptures those before him with erotic and sensual verse

He is said to have converted to Islam upon hearing the words of the Qur’an and recognizing no human could have composed something so sublime.

Mercurial Barqan on the other hand grants inspiration like a thunderclap, stunning the poet into a stupor until words begin to form in their mind.

The relationship between jinn and poet can be beneficial, but it also carries risks. The jinn sometimes inspire by transporting the human into their hidden realms which can be such a stunning experience you may lose your mind.

Other times their persistence can be overwhelming

In either case the experience can leave a person mad. Hence the word “mad” is “majnun” meaning possessed by the jinn.

The product of the complicated relationship between human and jinn, muse and poet were some of the most eloquent poetry in the land.

Because of their unique knowledge of the hidden, jinn inspired poetry around mystical themes, astrology, love etc.

For example the poetry of Umm Sinan Bint Kaithama compares Ali ibn Abi Talib to the moon surrounded by auspicious Jupiter and Venus.

Al Khuzai’s poem conveys grief and congratulations beautifully melded upon the death of one caliph and the crowning of another:

The Moon is in Baghdad enjoying the luxury of life while another Moon lays in its grave

Love poetry in particular was the domain of jinn. The 11th century poet Ibn Shuhayd writes:

Befriend Zuhayr of love, O Azza for indeed
When memories recalled him, he comes!
Whenever I hear mouths mention her...

It seems to me that I am kissing her mouth,
So I come to the abode of those that mention her,
Though the dunes of my abode are far,
Out of longing for her love. (trans by Stetkevych)

Zuhayr is the name of ibn Shuhayd’s jinn who helped him compose the poem.

My favorite story however is of the 10-headed jinn of Yemen who would waylay travelers and challenge them to a poetry contest.

If they won they could pass, but if they lost he would fling them into the sky until they fell broken and bruised.

He was such a pain the Queen of Sheba had to intervene and bound him in chains beneath Aden.

The jinn as muses would continue to be a consistent theme throughout the history of Arabic and Islamic literature. An endurance of a pre-Islamic relationship transformed and Islamized through the centuries.

For scholars and historians, the relationship speaks to the value these societies placed on the spoke and written word, both treated as near magical and mystical experiences.

If you are interested in more Islamic history check out my patreon. I just releated a new episode on the Mahdi and the Islamic apocalypse:

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We’ll continue to explore Islamic history in future threads: